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👀 Sneak Peak 👀

Next week, we're publishing a lesson that follows the Dagara tale of Yagangnaa, a boy who defied a tyrannical chief. The lesson is written by educator Paschal Kyiiripuo Kyoore and animated by Lesego Vorster and The Hidden Hand Studios. Here are some awesome character designs for the upcoming lesson! We're so grateful to The Hidden Hand Studios for letting us in on their process and hope you enjoy this glimpse into the making of our new animation. 

2024-08-22 19:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Behind-the-scenes: The Lake Where Time Stood Still

In our animation "Scientists are obsessed with this lake", educators Nicola Storelli and Daniele Zanzi explore the depths of Lake Cadagno, a meromictic lake that is considered a model for Earth before the Great Oxidation Event.

Take a look at these behind-the-scenes images of how the stop motion animation was made by Ivana Volda.

"Laughter" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, The science of laughter by Sasha Winkler with animation by Hanna Rybak.

Isn’t it odd that, when something’s funny, you might show your teeth, change your breathing, become weak and achy in some places, and maybe even cry? In other words, why do we do this bizarre thing that is laughter? Since there’s no archaeological record of laughter, it’s impossible to say exactly how and why it evolved, but scientists have some theories. Sasha W...

"Prayer Offerings" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation The Greek myth of Demeter's revenge by Iseult Gillespie, with animation by Olya Kapys.

Mestra, princess of Thessaly, was far from home. She had watched her father, King Erysichthon, plunge into a ruin of his own making. Now, to save himself, he’d sold his own daughter to the highest bidder. But Mestra refused to accept this fate and began to plan her escape. Iseult Gillespie shares the Greek myth of Mestra's bid for freedo...

"African Clawed Frogs" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation Why did hospitals have these frogs in their supply rooms?, with animation by Yajun Shi.

In the early 20th century, pregnancy testing required a slippery piece of equipment: a female African clawed frog. For decades, hospitals and research labs had a trusted supply of these handy creatures, employing their help in testing for pregnancy and in numerous other scientific endeavors. So what makes these frogs so special? Carly Anne York shares the secr...

"Mei Mei" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, Are pandas the most misunderstood animal? by Lucy Cooke with animation by Keegan Thornhill.

In the 1930’s, a grand panda drama unfolded at the Chicago Zoo. Zookeepers procured a female panda named Mei Mei, and they were determined to find her a mate. They found a prospective suitor named Mei Lan, and the public eagerly awaited the patter of tiny panda paws. But the wait dragged on... and on. Why weren’t the bears br...

"Sibling Rivalry" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, The sibling rivalry that divided a town by Jay Van Bavel and Dominic Packer with animation by Arvind Singh Jeena.

One day a pair of brothers working together as shoemakers had an explosive fight that split the family business in two. Over the coming years, this disagreement divided their town— residents and businesses chose sides. Could such a serious divide really be about shoes? Doesn’t it ta...

"Jellyfish Explosion" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation The one thing stopping jellyfish from taking over, with animation by Sinan Göksel and Emre Kanlıoğlu.

Over the past two decades, jellyfish have begun to overwhelm our oceans. If things stay on their current trajectory, we could be headed for a future where the entire ocean is thick with jellyfish. So, is there anything that can keep these gelatinous creatures under control? Mariela Pajuelo and Javier Antonio Quinones take...

"Road Trip" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation This is what happens when you hit the gas, with animation by Kevin Herrmann.

In 2015, two men drove a Volkswagen across the US on just over 100 gallons of fuel. Their 81-mile-per-gallon performance doubled the car’s estimated fuel rating, and set the record for the lowest fuel consumption ride of a diesel car. The duo were experts in techniques that maximize fuel efficiency. So, how did their strategy save fuel? Shannon Odell explores what’s ...

"Cuteness" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, Why do you want to squeeze cute things? by Joshua Paul Dale with animation by Oksana Kurmaz.

Watching a kitten fumbling around, it might feel as if you’ve never encountered anything so devastatingly adorable in your mortal life. You may want to pet its soft fur and kiss its tiny head. But you may also feel the conflicting urge… to squeeze or smush the kitten, maybe even stuff it in your mouth. What is this peculiar ...

"Outer Space" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation How will AI change the world?, with animation by Christoph Sarow.

In the coming years, artificial intelligence is probably going to change your life— and likely the entire world. But people have a hard time agreeing on exactly how AI will affect our society. Can we build AI systems that help us fix the world? Or are we doomed to a robotic takeover? Explore the limit...

"Beaming Beavers" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, Why are beavers obsessed with dams? by Glynnis Hood with animation by Keegan Thornhill.

Nestled in the forests of Canada sits the world’s longest beaver dam. This 850-meter-long structure is large enough to be seen in satellite imagery and has dramatically transformed the region, creating a pond containing 70 million liters of water. But da...

"Killer Wasp" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, The bizarre world of parasitic wasps by Miles Zhang with animation by Denys Spolitak.

A cockroach and jewel wasp are locked in battle. The wasp latches onto the cockroach and inserts her stinger into the cockroach's brain, where her venom blocks its fight-or-flight response. Now, the cockroach is essentially a zombie, and its carcas...

"Every Human Life" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation What if you experienced every human life in history?, with animation by Jay Septimo and Khoo Siew May.

Imagine that your life began as one of the planet’s first humans. After dying, you're reincarnated as the second human ever to live. You then return as the third person, the fourth, the fifth, and so on – living the lives of every huma...

Animation closeup: The Myth of Cupid and Psyche

TED-Ed wishes everyone a happy Valentine's Day! 

By supporting our mission, you've become a part of the TED-Ed team, and that means we want you to get to know us and the work we do.

With that in mind, allow us to introduce Jeremiah Dickey, one of the super talented and all around awesome internal animators here at TED-Ed. In this video, Jeremiah gives us a little glimpse into some of the character design work he did on the lesson, 2024-02-14 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post

"Banned Books" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, One of the most banned books of all time by Mollie Godfrey, with animation by Laura White.

In 1998, a school district removed one of American literature’s most acclaimed works from its curriculum. Parents pushing for the ban said the book was both “sexually explicit” and “anti-white.” The book at the center of this ...

"Brain Chemistry" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation The science of falling in love by Shannon Odell, with animation by Biljana Labović.

Love is often described as heartwarming, heart-wrenching, or even heartbreaking— and your brain is responsible for all these feelings. The journey from first spark to the last tear is guided by a symphony of neurochemicals and brain systems. Shannon O...

"Moving Forward" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, How horses changed history by William Taylor with animation by Denys Spolitak.

People have been captivated by horses for a long time. They appear more than any other animal in cave paintings dating back 30,000 years. But how did horses make the journey from wild animals to ones humans could hitch themselves to and even ride? William T. T...

"A New Day" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation The most important century in human history, directed by Jon Mayes and AIM Creative Studios.

Is it possible that this century is the most important one in human history? The 21st century has already proven to be a period of rapid growth. We’re on the cusp of developing new technologies that could entirely change the way...

"A family of vultures" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, Vultures: The acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem by Kenny Coogan with animation by Katarina Jukić.

In the African grasslands, a gazelle suffering from tuberculosis takes its last breath. The animal's corpse threatens to infect the water, but for the vulture, this isn't a problem: it's a ...

"Winter Water Wonderland" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation Will the ocean ever run out of fish? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Jennifer Jacquet, with animation by Anton Bogaty.

When most people think of fishing, we imagine relaxing in a boat and patiently reeling in the day’s catch. But modern industrial fishing -- the kind that stocks o...

"Chick Rivalry" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, Would you raise the bird that murdered your children? by Steve Rothstein with animation by Mauricio Bueno and Lucy Animation Studio.

A mother honeyguide has placed its chick into a bee-eater’s nest— puncturing all the other eggs in the nest and leaving only its own hatching alive. Over the fo...

"Climate Migrants" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our lesson, Where will you be able to live in 20 years? by Carol Farbotko and Ingrid Boas, animation by Ouros Animation.

Humanity has always adapted to changing weather and moved to regions that best support cultural lifestyles and livelihoods. However, the rise in extreme weather is endangering coastal c...

"Mystery Writer" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, How to write the perfect crime, according to Agatha Christie by Jamie Bernthal with animation by Anantha Krishnan and Nikhita Prabhudesai.

With almost 100 mystery novels, each one a cleverly constructed puzzle box of clues, misdirection, and human drama, Agatha Christie is the best-selling ...

Tropical Oasis Digital Wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation Which animal has the best eyesight? by Thomas W. Cronin, with animation by Josefina Preumayr.

The animal kingdom boasts an incredible diversity of eyes. Some rotate independently while others have squiggly-shaped pupils. Some have protective lids, others squirt blood. But which creature has the best sight? Which sees best in the d...

"Into the unknown" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, You could have a secret twin (but not the way you think) by Kayla Mandel Sheets with animation by Luísa M H Copetti and Hype CG.

While searching for a kidney donor, Karen Keegan stumbled upon a mystery. After undergoing genetic testing, it turned out that some of her cells had a completely different set of...

"Sea Jellies" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation Why don’t poisonous animals poison themselves? by Rebecca D. Tarvin, with animation by Giulia Martinelli.

Thousands of animal species use toxic chemicals to defend themselves from predators. Snakes have blood clotting compounds in their fangs, the bombardier beetle has corrosive liquid in its abdomen and jellyfish ha...

"The Sailing Ship" coloring book page

This month's coloring book image comes from our lesson, The History of Tea by Shunan Teng with animation by Steff Lee.

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water –– and from sugary Turkish Rize tea to salty Tibetan butter tea, there are almost as many ways of preparing the beverage as there are cultures on the globe. Where did this beverage originate, and how did it become so po...

"Moon Goddess" digital wallpaper

These digital wallpapers come to you from our animation The myth of the moon goddess by Cynthia Fay Davis, with animation by The Animation Project.

The sun god was in love with the moon goddess, Ix Chel. But the goddess’ grandfather was very possessive, and would not let the sun god anywhere near his beloved granddaughter. Desperate to be together, they escaped and were ready to light up...

Behind-the-scenes: The making of The Opposites Game

What is the opposite of a gun? A classroom erupts into a war of words as students grapple with this seemingly simple question in the award-winning animated short "The Opposites Game", written by Brendan Constantine and animated by Lisa LaBracio and Anna Samo.

In this video, take a special look behind-the-scenes at how the animation was made, and the work that goes into creating ...